Where Mikey Sleeps
by Prophetella
Summary: This follows the TurtleTots piece: Contentious Colors; A quiet night of meditation with the turtletots.


Yes, Viacom would burn me alive for this... but I really don't feel like being nice after they let 4Kids/Toonzai remove TMNT from the Saturday morning cartoon lineup!  


* * *

After the tumult of the past week, Splinter was grateful for the chance to practice the new meditations the Ancient One had taught him. He had been fortunate in getting so far in the studies with practice in the bits and blips of opportunity presented by random quiet from his four terrapin children. Tonight instead of sleeping, he was meditating. He did not intend to stay the whole night in such a state for the Ancient One had taught him the techniques could only do so much to replace sleep and rest the body. But, what the advanced technique he was working on tonight would do was much needed to help keep up with his rambunctious little ones.

Deep in trance, he found the muscles that were torn from the stooped leg posture he affected to stand on hind legs in a form that still did not accept such treatment. The need for front hands free of the sewer filth allowing him their use was too valuable to concern himself over the issues slowly developing in his legs. Splinter had often seen his Master Yoshi deep in trance after a bad injury and would later be able to move much better. This was the practice the Ancient One had been amazed to see him attempt and then with only one night of guidance was able to begin mastering.

He could already feel the muscle knot above the tear relax and free tendrils that he would guide to join with the proper ends. He could still feel the irritation of the dead blood cells around the sore muscle and worked to encourage his body to remove them. Then he began the arduous process of knitting the tissues back into their proper place. In time, this practice would not take so long nor require so deep a meditation that he could only attempt it after the little ones slept. Still, Splinter became aware of the presence of wakeful awareness in one of his little ones.

He opened his eyes and saw Mikey climb down from his bed seeking a comforting playmate to settle him from his sleep disturbance. This usually meant he climbed into bed with Leonardo to share a blanket they had all favored. But, today Splinter had cut the blanket in pieces so the part Leo had would no longer serve Michelangelo's needs. As Splinter had expected Mikey had forgotten his request to bring his blanket to Donatello's bed if he desired company tonight. He arose and intercepted Mikey's fumbling with the shawl shape clutched by his older brother in his attempt to curl under it with Leo. Splinter gently returned his drowsy son to his own bed and guided his hand back to the soft blanket then helped him drape it over the little shoulder so it would not drift across the floor as he was guided to Donatello's bed. The boy would look for someone to share comfort with in any case, it was best he did so with the brother who most needed it that night.

Once beside Donatello's bed, he helped the boy climb up into reach of the child propped up on two pillows. Splinter again began guiding his youngest son's hands. First, he helped him tug the pillow out from under his smart brother's legs and tuck it next to the matching purple one under the sleeping head. The drowsy boy managed to pull the blankets up and crawl under them to tuck up against the olive toned body as he would with any of his brothers. But, that was only part of what Splinter wanted the boy to do for his brother. With careful grip, he helped guide Michelangelo's hands to tug Don's knees and pull them up over his curled legs to replace the pillow he had thieved. Then he helped the tot finish tucking the blanket around both and under the softly rubbing hand of the bed's owner. Feeling the texture of the soft blanket under his sore fingers, Donatello finally allowed his hand to rest heavily on his chest and drifted into a fully deep sleep. Michelangelo had never once opened his eyes and quickly resumed the leaden body state that he spent the rest of the night in. In the morning, they would waken in the same position and one would realize that he had not been chased from the bed nor gotten a cramp from the position his head had lay in. Then the both of them would snuggle under the softness of the shared blanket and perhaps give their weary father some extra time to sleep before starting the day.

Splinter eagerly turned towards his room away from the noises of the sleeping quad. Before he climbed into his bed, he checked the state of Donatello's important experiment. The tub of water seemed to have paled during his hours of meditation and the colors of the drink powders had settled into the square of fabric that matched Michelangelo's comfort blanket and Leonardo's shawl. The rat added a bit more of the purple mix to the wool scented water. He then turned to his book of quotes intent on recording this day. He flipped the page deciding between writing behind the days quote or on the blank side of the page before it. He would use the kanji for mouru rather than the gairaigo for flannel. His eye drifted over the next day's quote.

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

-Confuscious

Splinter chuckled to think his youngest shared a trait with the illustrious sage. Show his hands once and he could do anything, even in his sleep; tell him something of importance and Michelangelo was certain to forget it. Such as the importance of washing hands before they transfer the staining powder to his father's fur. It was truly appropriate he added the kanji for fur/wool and the kanji for cloth to the left of King Soloman's words, "This too shall pass."


End file.
